New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingfilu’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea  Impatiens  plant named ‘Ingfilu’ characterized by its large white with pink blotch colored flowers with small, dark green foliage, early flowering, good heat tolerance, nice rounded shaped growth habit with excellent basal branching and good vigor.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Impatienshawkeri.

Varietal denomination: ‘Ingfilu’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiensplant botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri and referred to by thecultivar name ‘Ingfilu.’

The new cultivar was developed in a controlled breeding programconducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands. The new NewGuinea Impatiens cultivar is very floriferous with large flowers, earlyflowering on a strong growing, basal branching plant with good heattolerance.

The new cultivar is propagated from cuttings resulting from the cross inSeptember 2001 of the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selectionidentified as ‘H193-2’ as female parent and the proprietary New GuineaImpatiens selection identified as ‘H197-3’ as male parent. ‘H193-2’ isnot commercially available and has not been patented. ‘H197-3’ is notcommercially available and has not been patented.

As a result of this cross the present cultivar was selected in September2002 in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been repeatedly asexuallyreproduced by cuttings in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, in Gilroy, Calif., andin Angers, France over a period of several years. The distinctivecharacteristics of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 9 to 11weeks to produce a finished plant, starting from a rooted plug andplanted in a 12 cm pot, depending on the temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Ingfilu.’ These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Ingfilu’ as a new and distinct New GuineaImpatiens cultivar:

-   -   1. Large pinkish white flowers with pink blotch from the center    -   2. Early flowering and floriferous habit    -   3. Rounded shaped habit    -   4. Strong growing and good heat tolerance

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plants ofthe female parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have a pinkish white with pink blotchflower color, whereas the plants of the female parent selection have alight pink flower color.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plantsof the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have a pinkish white with pink blotchflower color, whereas the plants of the male parent selection have apink with rose eye flower color.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens can be compared to plants of‘Fisupnic Mapink,’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,222. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new NewGuinea Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Fisupnic Mapink’in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have large pinkish        white flowers with pink blotch from the center, whereas plants        of ‘Fisupnic Mapink’ have medium large, light pink flowers with        white blotch.    -   2. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have small dark green        foliage, whereas plants of ‘Fisupnic Mapink’ have large green        foliage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

This new New Guinea Impatiens plant is illustrated by the accompanyingphotographic drawing which shows blooms, buds and foliage of the plantin full color, the color showing being as true as can be reasonablyobtained by conventional photographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of this new New Guinea Impatiens. The data which definesthese characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carriedout in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The plant history was taken on 30 weekold plants, blossomed under natural light in the field.

Color readings were taken in the laboratory under ambient light. Colorreferences are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society of London.

-   The plant:    -   -   Classification.—Botanical: Impatiens hawkeri.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection            identified as code number ‘H193-2,’ not patented.        -   Male parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection            identified as code number ‘H197-3,’ not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 7-14 days.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 days.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and white in color.-   Plant description:    -   -   General appearance.—Outwardly spreading, low rounded and            uniform mounded plant growth.-   Habit:    -   -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching habit, freely            flowering, moderate vigorous.-   Crop time:    -   -   Plant height.—26-28 cm.        -   Plant spread.—45-50 cm.-   Lateral branch description:    -   -   Length.—17-22 cm.        -   Diameter.—5-7 mm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Internode length.—2-10 cm.        -   Color.—RHS 187A.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Primarily in whorls.        -   Length, mature leaves.—8.0 cm.        -   Width, mature leaves.—2.9 cm.        -   Shape.—Lanceolate.        -   Apex.—Acuminate.        -   Base.—Acute.        -   Margin.—Serrulate with fine cilation.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Color young foliage, upper surface.—RHS 147A.        -   Color young foliage, lower surface.—RHS 187A.        -   Fully expanded foliage, upper surface.—RHS 147A.        -   Fully expanded foliage, lower surface.—RHS 187A.        -   Venation, upper surface.—RHS 187A+146A.        -   Venation, lower surface.—RHS 187A.        -   Anthocyanin may be present.—RHS 187A.        -   Petiole length.—About 0.4 cm.        -   Petiole diameter.—About 2.0 mm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Color.—RHS 187A.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single.        -   Number of flowers per leaf axil.—1 or 2.        -   Number of flowers and flower buds per lateral branch.—6.        -   Flower position.—Above and beyond the foliage and typically            facing upwards and outward.        -   Flower shape.—Rounded, mostly flat.        -   Flowers lasting.—About 10 days on the plant depending on            environmental conditions.        -   Petals.—Self cleaning.        -   Gynoecium.—Persistent.        -   Flowers.—Not fragrant.        -   Flowering.—Indeterminate and continuous.        -   Flowering season.—Year round under greenhouse conditions. In            the garden, flowering from spring until fall.        -   Flower length.—About 7.2 cm.        -   Flower width.—About 6.8 cm.        -   Flower depth.—About 0.6 cm.-   Flower buds:    -   -   Bud length.—About 2.5 cm.        -   Bud diameter.—About 1.7 cm.        -   Bud shape.—Ellipsoidal.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Color, just before opening.—RHS 53C to 55B to 69D, base to            apex.-   Petals:    -   -   Quantity.—Single, five per flower, imbricate.        -   Length of banner petal.—About 3.1 cm.        -   Width of banner petal.—About 4.7 cm.        -   Length lateral and basal petals.—About 3.9 cm.        -   Width lateral and basal petals.—About 3.1 cm.        -   Lateral and basal petal shape.—Cordate.        -   Banner petal shape.—Roughly cordate.        -   Petal apex.—Retuse to emarginate.        -   Petal base.—Attenuate.        -   Petal margin.—Entire.        -   Petal texture.—Smooth, satiny.        -   Petal color.—Upper surface: When opening and fully opened:            RHS 69D. Middle eye N57A. Lower surface: When opening and            fully opened: RHS 69D. Middle eye 58A.-   Spur:    -   -   Length.—About 5.5 cm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Aspect.—Curved.        -   Color.—RHS 182C to 152D.-   Peduncles:    -   -   Length.—About 5.1 cm.        -   Strength.—Strong, flexible.        -   Diameter.—0.15 cm.        -   Aspect.—About 45° from the stem.        -   Color.—RHS 183B.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Androecium.—Stamen number: Five fused at anthers, filaments            free, hooded.        -   Anther shape.—Obovate.        -   Anther length.—About 7 mm.        -   Anther color.—RHS 155C.        -   Amount of pollen.—Abundant.        -   Pollen color.—RHS 4D.-   Gynoecium:    -   -   Pistil number.—One.        -   Pistil length.—About 5 mm.        -   Stigma shape.—Columnar, five segmented.        -   Stigma color.—Colorless.        -   Style color.—RHS 187A.        -   Ovary arrangement.—Five celled.        -   Ovary color.—RHS 144A.-   Seed development: Seed development has not been observed.-   Disease and pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests    common to Impatiens has not been observed.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named‘Ingfilu’, as substantially illustrated and described herein.